The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-03-17
MUSIC FOR CHURCHES.
THE STAGE RoBS THE CHURCH
CHOIR OF THE BEST VOICES.

The Growing Demands of Church Goers.
The Secret of the Present Dearth of
Good Voices-Sopranos and Tenors Be-
coming Scarce.
The churches in New York are trying to
solve the problem how and where the music
for 1887 is to be obtained. There is money
enough to pay for cultivated voices, but
the trouble is that trained voices are not in
the market. AS in times past the church
going public demanded that they should
have a preacher of celebrity and power, so
now they demand that cultivated voices
shall be furnished for the choir. Although
there is a development of the craving for
chorus choirs and for double quartets,
nothing short of well balanced, competent
choir that can interpret the most difficult
selections will satisfy the average church
goer. In fact, the character of the music
rendered by church choir to-day is of as
much Importance and great drawing card
as the man who occupies the pulpit. Con-
sequently the church music committees are
having a very Industrious hunt for good
voices.
Cultivated soprano and tenor voices are
lists of New York are looking for salaries as
well as fame. 1t is estimated that the sala-
ries paid for church music in this city, al
though ranging from 800 to $4,000 per
year, aggregate without doubt many times
the pastoral salaries. 1t has long be0c
the complaint of those engaged in churcA
choir work that they were by no means suf'
ficiently recompensed for the time and abil
| ~ lint CO lpnO a UplnntnNrS
able recruits could be had almost for tho
asking their plants and criticisms were
UNDECIDED.
FOUND A BETTER MARKET.
~ do not think the secret of the present
dearth of good voices is that singers have
determined to be paid for their work or no
sing" said well-known wielder of thu
chorister baton the other day. at is rather
that they have found much better marke
for their voices Since the introduction
'Pinafore into this country the churcl
choirs have been ransacked and depletet
to the end of furnishing leading and choru
voices for the multitude of comic opera
that have so quickly and successfully fol
lowed Gilbert and Sullivan's tuneful histor,
of Ralph Rackstraw. Where good singe
once lent the best endeavors to obtaining 1
position in a church choir, to-day the rul'
is to seek out some manager in anticipation
of securing an engagement on the stage
Even those persons who have not succeeded
in finding such an engagement still refus
church work because they hope soon to Sc
cure the long coveted place on the operate
or theatrical stage. In brief, the church ha
been robbed by the stage for the past fiv
years. ;.
"Not only are our own city churches II
need of good voices, because of this gradua
ton to the stage, but because out Of tow
churches, finding it difficult to secure com
petent voices have invaded New York, an
U by making liberal offers have carried ava
some of our best singers. There are plent
of singers to be sure, but there is q scarcit
of available voices of the requisite cultivt
ton for church service. Though the mai
difficulty seems to be in obtaining soprano
1 and tenors, the deficiency is really not col
fined to one class of vocalists. Altos an
y bass voices can be had, but they must b
literally paid for. call to mind now a
instance where one church in this city wi
pay a newly engaged alto more than doubl
. the salary given to her predecessor. Will
many bass and baritone voice are in til
a market, so to speak, the rich, deep, we
rounded bass is to be obtained only wit
r much difficulty. Singers possessing voic'
have no cultivation, and those whose voic,
l. show culture are lacking in the desired tin
Der. 1t is fact that in order to retain I'll
II valuable components of their choirs man
Of the churches will have to increase IL
a salaries next year more than ever befor
AS look back can call to mind sever,
: well known companies on the road TIL
represent many of the best voices that ha'
=, been heard in church choirs. New Yoi
o Mail and Express.